If “Dune” from 2021 was a preface, an introduction, breaking us gently into the dense universe of author Frank Herbert, then “Dune Part Two” is an acceleration. With each of his films, director, now auteur Denis Villeneuve, hones his craft, creating films with a brilliance that has lately only been seen in Christopher Nolan’s films. […]
It would never take much rebooting of Frank Herbert’s beloved “Dune” to be better than its 1984 disappointment helmed by David Lynch. Like “The Lord of the Rings” or Comic Book adaptions, the technology needed to be invented to match the imagination and world-building in the science fiction epic, long hailed the greatest of all
The long-awaited sequel to the “Avengers Infinity War” cliffhanger has arrived and one of two opening sequences, begin with something rarely seen in Marvel movie, consequences. The three-hour epic, again directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, have touted this finale as something that will change the genre forever. The irony for the Avengers franchise is
Trying to duplicate something that worked so well because it defied genre borders is exactly why the “Sicario” sequel sets itself up to fail. “Day of the Soldado” isn’t a bad movie, it certainly has its moments of suspense, but lacks the artistic vision of auteur Denis Villeneuve (“Arrival”) and the cinematic touch of Roger
Most of the original gang returns for this sequel except for director, Tim Miller. Creative differences arose between Miller and producer/lead actor Ryan Reynolds, who’s really calling all the shots here. Despite different directors, an inflated budget, “Deadpool 2” is more of the same, a lot more. More violence, more crude jokes and a dizzying
A fellow critic asked the rhetorical question, “does latest Avengers live up to the hype”. What is hype, the excellent marketing Disney (which owns Marvel) telling fans who were already going to buy a ticket and love the film without seeing it to get excited? “Avengers Infinity War” is the 19th entry in Marvel’s Cinematic
“Only the Brave” turns out to be a lot more than “the firefighter movie”. Director Joseph Kosinski (“Oblivion”, “Tron Legacy”), sidesteps many clichés and stereotypes the trailer advertises as he introduces us to real people and circumstance. Ken Nolan’s script, based on an article in GQ, focuses far more on the people involved than the
The Coen Brothers latest film, “Hail, Caesar” is a really good B-movie. It’s always been hit and miss with the Oscar winning duo (No Country For Old Men), known for their work in writing as much as directing. You look at their filmography and it’s literally as if someone turns the light switch on and
French Canadian director Denis Villeneuve caught my undivided attention with his thriller “Prisoners” (2013), portraying one of the darkest kidnapping scenarios in recent memory. Villeneuve explores even darker subject matter in his latest suspense thriller “Sicario” (meaning hitman in Mexico), that will make pudding out of any 2015 horror film. Its closest companion would
This isn’t Vertical Limit nor is this just another mindless disaster movie. Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur (The Deep, 2 Guns) has set out, not only to capture the tragic events of the 1996 climb, but to explore the various types of people who want to risk their lives to survive Everest. What caught my attention